Biya's candidacy humiliation for 30 million Cameroonians - Christopher Fomunyoh.

In a recent interview, the Senior Associate and Regional Director for West and Central Africa; at the US-based National Democratic Institute, NDI, insisted that President Biya’s decision to seek another seven-year term, at the age of 92, is humiliation for the 30 million Cameroonians.
"It beats my imagination why he should be doing this to himself, to his family and to a country he claims to love and have respect for", Dr Fomunyoh said in the interview.
Dr Fomunyoh, who is also Senior Advisor to the President of the National Democratic Institute, NDI, has equally challenged "more level-headed voices within the CPDM to voice out their frustration against Biya’s life-presidency project".

Read full interview below:

I will like to thank Christopher Fomunyoh, Senior Associate for Africa and Special Advisor to the President of the National Democratic Institute for being on the show. 

Thank you for having me. My pleasure talking with you.

What would you make of a 92-year-old man, who after 43 years in power as President, is still seeking re-election to remain in power? 

It is extremely difficult to explain that someone at 92, would want to seek re-election and serve another seven-year term in a country whose population is made up of mostly young people and where the average age is 19. President Paul Biya has been in power for 43 years. He cannot be telling Cameroonians now that what he has not accomplished in 43 years of power, he is going to be able to accomplish in the next seven years. It’s unacceptable, it’s humiliating to the 30 million Cameroonians who are young, dynamic and intelligent people. It beats my imagination why he will be doing this to himself, to his family and to a country that he claims to love and respect. 

Well, maybe he has an awesome business, I must say, because in the social media outing announcing his candidature, he said the "best is yet to come". Maybe he wants to consolidate his so-called “previous years of achievement”.

If you follow the politics of Cameroon and you go back to all the messages and all the slogans that Paul Biya has used in the past for campaign purposes, many of his promises have not been met. 

That explains why Cameroon today is facing tremendous insecurity in the north, in the east and in the Anglophone part of the country. Cameroon is facing a lot of economic hardship with young people who cannot find jobs and, with the unemployment rate being pretty high. 

Cameroon is facing a lot of issues of governance, respect for the rule of law, and the ability to renew political leadership across the country. 

Strangely, he has always made these promises on the eve of every election. There is no reason to believe that what he has not achieved in over 42 years in power, at 92, he would be able to achieve that. 

What are some of these promises he has not honoured in over 43 years in power?

For example, he always said that he would have a very united country in which every Cameroonian would feel like they belong. If you look at the politics of Cameroon today, the country is extremely polarised. Ethnicity and tribalism have become part of the discourse. If you look at the country today, the Anglophone minority, which constitutes about 20% of the population, is feeling extremely marginalised; to the point some people have taken up arms in a conflict that now, is in its eighth year. If you look at what is happening in the Far North part of the country that shares a border with Maiduguri in Nigeria and and parts of the Lake Chad Basin, violent extremism has been going on now under his tenure, and he hasn't dealt with that. 

Indicators from Transparency International and other international organisations, with regards to governance, corruption and embezzlement, show Cameroon scoring very poorly under President Biya's leadership. 

And if he hasn't been able to resolve these issues, and if Cameroon today is not one of the shining stars of the African continent, he cannot tell us that it is when he's 92 years old and beyond that he's going to be able to do this. 

The mere fact that he should even tender his candidacy for consideration speaks volumes. If you go around the country, people will tell you that they haven't seen their President for decades. People will tell you that he hasn't visited the ten Regions of the country, for the past 20 years or even more. It is also very shocking and embarrassing that he has not had a cabinet meeting with members of his government for several years.

After this year's National Day celebration on May 20, Cameroonians have seen their President in public only once! So, how is he going to govern this country of 30 million citizens with the complexities of issues that Cameroon now faces, with the complexity of issues impacting our continent of Africa on the world stage, that have become even more challenging for African nations and countries that are trying to also have their voices heard? It's just unbelievable and difficult to explain. 

Giving President Biya another seven-year term, I must say, is nothing but setting the stage for Cameroon to move into other crises that would amplify the crises that the country is already facing under his tenure. 

Is Paul Biya popular and loved by Cameroonians? What, in your opinion, is going through the minds of Cameroonians; with their 92-year-old President seeking another seven-year term in office? 

Well, first of all, let me take this opportunity to express my condolences for the passing of the monarch of Ijebolan, and the people of Ogun State, as well as my condolences to all of the people of Nigeria; for the passing of former President Mahamadou Buhari. 

These are Statesmen and traditional monarchs who served their people and their country well. These are people of Paul Biya's generation. 

One would expect that for a President who was already active at the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon in the early 60s, by this time, President Paul Biya would also have taken his retirement to spend more time with his grandkids, his great-great-grandkids and the rest of his family. 

When he came to power in 1982, he was only 49 years old. He was young; educated; looked vibrant, strong; and said the right things. He talked about morality and rigorous commitment to public service. He raised a lot of hopes that he would take Cameroon from where his predecessor had left it, to a higher level. This, he has not done. The country has rather moved by far backwards than he inherited.

Little wonder his popularity has greatly diminished. His accomplishments have also diminished. When you look at all the sectors in Cameroon, including the economic sector, all of the major companies and corporations that existed before he came to power have now either been dismantled or gone bankrupt. 

All of the institutions that were vibrant and active before he came to power, have all been destroyed. It is a shame that a country that looked so united, buoyant and at one time was called Africa in miniature, has become a mockery of itself. 

He has put in place a very centralised system, where agencies of State are working to keep him and his political party, the CPDM, in power till thy Kingdom come. There is no doubt in my mind that the level of his unpopularity has grown. The level of discontent and disenchantment have also grown with the passage of time. 

It is quite interesting that you, Dr Fomunyoh, have stated this. Contrary to your claims, President Paul Biya said his decision to contest once again came from numerous and insistent calls from citizens at home and abroad. So, maybe this is a general consensus among Cameroonians that he should remain in power because he has the expertise, he's been there for years, he understands where the challenges are, and he has the solutions to some of these problems that you have highlighted?

Nobody can be fooled by that. That is always the excuse that autocratic regimes use. They claim to be always responding to a call from the people. Even in the one-party days, people said they were responding to the calls of the people. 

If you must know, Cameroon, since the introduction of multiparty politics in the early 90s, has had a lot of challenges organising free, fair and transparent elections. It is no secret that all the elections that Biya declared he won in the past, have been highly contested. The outcomes have been controversial. 

In 1992, for example, when Cameroon had the first competitive Presidential election; after the legalisation of the multiple system, Biya's victory was widely contested. It is well over 30 years, but Cameroonians are still contesting the outcome of that election. 

An overwhelming majority of Cameroonians still believe that Biya didn't win the 1992 Presidential election. 

It is embarrassing that he could take to the social media, with claims that his decision to seek another seven-year term in office, is in response to the "call from Cameroonians". 

Strangely enough, he is making these claims when his own CPDM party has not been able to hold its congress for over 13 years. The CPDM has not even held a Convention to nominate its candidate, at least to demonstrate that supporters are fully in support of Biya's candidacy. 

 President Biya and his cohorts can keep deceiving Cameroonians and the world. They should, however, not be oblivious of the stark realities on the ground. The signs are there to show that there is a lot of unhappiness and discontent. Even more disturbing, is the growing uncertainty about what this means for a country of over 30 million citizens facing the kinds of challenges that today's Cameroon faces.

Some will feel or think that Cameroonians are a bit docile in demanding a regime change. We have seen other African countries which have championed this cause through the ballot box, and they have been able to effect a change. How comes Paul Biya has been able to stay in power for 43 years, without a formidable challenger? People are saying, 'well, he's been able to manipulate the State machinations to perpetrate his stay in power'. Do you think that it is the true narrative in Cameroon?

Well, you raise a very important point, and that is part of the concern that I have and that I have expressed very publicly. The trends that we are witnessing across Africa today, there is a lot of dissatisfaction, especially amongst young people, that their voices are not being heard and that they are not having the opportunity to weigh in on how to get to be better, let alone compete to be in positions of power. My concern, my fear, is that for a country where the average age is 19 years, if you continue to have people in their 90s governing the country, then there is going to be a huge disconnect. There may come a time when all of these young people; the majority of the population, will feel that it no longer serves their purpose to participate in the political, democratic processes and democratic practices in their country. At such a time, they may be looking for other alternatives to have their voices heard. That discontent has already cost Africa a number of stable democracies. We don't want to see that in Cameroon. I dare even say that I am really pleased that Nigeria, which is next door to Cameroon, is also paying attention to what is happening in Cameroon. 

Remember that the instability and insecurity in Cameroon, especially with the crisis in the North West and South West Regions, Cameroon, already has well over 100,000 refugees in the Nigerian States of Maiduguri, Taraba, Benue, River State and Cross River. 

If Cameroon gets destabilised today, because a 92-year-old man wants to stay at the helm of State, it's going to impact countries like Nigeria. It's also going to impact the rest of Africa. 

In the next two decades, 30% of the world's youth will be from the African continent. The rest of the world would look at  us Africans and say, ‘how can you be such a young continent and then you still have people who are 92 years old, and who have been in power for over four decades; still trying to run for public office, and you are allowing this to happen’. And so this, for me, is not just a Cameroonian issue. It's not just an issue for the sub-region of West Africa that is a neighbour, or Central Africa. It's an issue for the entire continent and for the world. 

More level-headed voices within the CPDM and in Cameroon need to speak out on Biya's attempt to take the country hostage; with his life-presidency project. 

You keep talking about President Biya's age, 92. Some people would ask the question, 'if he leaves office, who takes charge?’ There have been several opposition members who have worked with him, but then have stopped being friends with him and have started pushing a coalition or have expressed the desire to contest the presidency with him. There have been questions asked on their political relevance and the pedigree they have to defeat Biya in the October poll. When you look at all those other options, do you think they have what it takes to challenge him in the coming election?

Well, that really speaks to the importance of having credible elections with institutions that can allow for the practice of democracy to be real. 

When you have a democratic process and you elect a President who is not performing, by the next election, if they have nothing to show for their tenure, then the population is going to have the opportunity to vote them out of office. If you have a President who has run the country in a way the system can no longer function in a transparent manner, obviously he is going to be able to sit tight for decades. That is what President Biya has done. Part of the plea is that he should retire so that Cameroonian institutions can begin to function as normal institutions. 

It is unfortunate that we don't have the kind of democratic institutions in Cameroon that guarantee free, fair and transparent elections. 

Trust me, it could be extremely difficult to effect change in a country where the sitting President is using other levers of power to restrict political space, and making it extremely difficult for the civil society to thrive or to monitor electoral processes. It is also extremely difficult for political parties to even hold meetings or press conferences in their own party headquarters.

It is unacceptable in the 21st century, that there is no enabling environment that allows for visionary leaders to emerge and to contest for elections in their own country. 

I guess this is going to be quite a dicey and a very, very tense political atmosphere in Cameroon; between now and October, when the election will be held. We will continue to keep an eye on what eventually happens in Cameroon. Whoever becomes the next President of Cameroon, would definitely be of interest to Africa and the rest of the world. Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, Senior Associate for Africa and Special Advisor to the President of the National Democratic Institute, thank you so much for your time on the conversation.

Thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure being with you.

*Dr Christopher Fomunyoh was interviewed by Lagos (Nigeria)-based NewsCentral TV

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3510 of Monday July 21, 2025